Zhuge Xiang moved very quickly—extremely fast, four times the speed of Ling Wufeng at that level. The emergence of this bloody blade light startled both Ling Wufeng and Ji Wuxue. They had only seen Hua Nongying and Lu Yuling rush out, never expecting that anyone else was here.
Yet although startled, upon seeing the familiar blade light, they were overjoyed. They never imagined Zhuge Xiang would also arrive; everyone had clearly witnessed his performance at the grand tournament. Still, facing a Two-Star Demonic Beast, could he succeed once more?
Compared to Zhuge Xiang's attack speed, the speed of this demon bear was far too slow. Furthermore, caught off guard by Zhuge Xiang's sudden, explosive assault, the demon bear had no time to dodge whatsoever. The Blood Refinement Saber slashed fiercely into the demon bear's open mouth, sending fresh blood splashing everywhere.
Accompanying this was the demon bear's shrill, miserable scream. With this single strike, Zhuge Xiang practically sliced off its tongue. The excruciating pain further stirred the demon bear's ferocious nature, but fortunately, the moment Zhuge Xiang's blade struck the demon bear, everyone had already prepared to retreat.
Whoosh...
The massive bear paw, larger than a basin, swept past right in front of Zhuge Xiang's eyes. Though it missed hitting him, the fierce wind whipped up by the sweeping paw caused a sharp, burning pain across Zhuge Xiang's face.
He rejoiced inwardly, silently grateful that he had anticipated the demon bear would fly into a rage and launch a counterattack. Otherwise, if that paw had actually connected, no matter who it was, they would be dead for sure.
Poison was a terrifying force. Having pulled back and retreated rapidly, knowing the demon bear was already poisoned, Zhuge Xiang and the others focused primarily on evasion, doing their utmost to dodge the furious demon bear. The intense physical exertion only accelerated the spread of the poison. Yet looking at the venom-afflicted demon bear, Zhuge Xiang and his companions could not feel happy.
The venom of a nearly One-Star High-Grade Poison Python was quite potent, but the physical body of a Two-Star Demonic Beast had, after all, been tempered by demonic qi and was exceptionally sturdy. The spreading poison merely inflicted a minor impact on the demon bear's speed; its attack speed and force seemed to diminish somewhat, visually dropping by about thirty percent or so.
Well, the reality of a Two-Star Demonic Beast meant that even if its attack force dropped by thirty percent, the demon bear's strikes remained fully sufficient to instantly kill anyone present. As for its movement speed and reaction time being affected by thirty percent? A Two-Star Demonic Beast—even if it stood completely still, would attacks landing on it have any effect at all? Such a reduction in speed held essentially no meaning.
"Forget it, this demon bear's body is far too sturdy. We had better make our escape quickly," Ji Wuxue said somewhat helplessly as he watched the poison's effect upon it prove relatively minor.
Given the numbing effects of the toxin, which had reduced the demon bear's speed by thirty percent, fleeing at this moment still offered a very high probability of escape.
"No, once a bear drops onto all fours, its straight-line running speed is extremely fast; it's not that easy to shake off," Zhuge Xiang said, firmly shaking his head in response to Ji Wuxue's words, unwilling to flee just like that.
Without a trace, Lu Yuling glanced briefly at Niu Geng. She knew who Zhuge Xiang was worrying about; if one asked who ran the slowest, Niu Geng was undoubtedly the one.
Nodding, Lu Yuling also expressed her agreement with Zhuge Xiang. "Indeed, I also feel this demon bear needs to be killed. Once we kill it, sprinkling its excrement around our resting place should deter many One-Star Demonic Creatures from approaching, allowing us to rest relatively better tonight."
"But how are we supposed to attack it? A Two-Star Monster Beast—how can we possibly harm it?" Ling Wufeng spoke up. Although he also felt Lu Yuling's words made a lot of sense, opening up the defense of a Two-Star Demonic Beast presented a massive problem.
"Weak-point attacks," Zhuge Xiang stated. "My strike just now proved it. Although the physical defense of this demon bear is extremely strong, our attacks should still be effective against certain vulnerable areas—for instance, the eyes, or inside the oral cavity. As long as we seize the right timing, we have a way to succeed."
"Yet ever since your attack took effect, this demon bear has kept its mouth shut, not letting out a single roar. Attacking from inside the mouth is unrealistic. As for the eyes, the demon bear protects its eyes very well, making them difficult to target." Hua Nongying's brows furrowed slightly as well. Everyone wore an expression of difficulty; the physical defense of a Two-Star Demonic Beast was truly too freakish.
"You all launch harassing attacks. Hua Nongying, you don't need to worry about anything else; rush straight in and quickly blind the demon bear's eyes. Ling Wufeng, ready your flying daggers. The moment the demon bear's eyes are blinded, it will inevitably scream out loud, and your flying dagger must shoot straight into its mouth. Whether we can pierce its throat from inside the oral cavity will depend on you." Seeing that everyone wore a troubled and distressed expression, Zhuge Xiang began assigning roles.
Zhuge Xiang's words caused Hua Nongying to start slightly. Blinding its eyes was one thing, but were a demon bear's eyes so easily blinded? She feared that before she even succeeded, she would already be beaten into pulverized bones by a single swipe of the demon bear's paw.
Sensing Hua Nongying's apprehension, Zhuge Xiang spoke up, "Rest assured, at the crucial moment, I will block the demon bear's attacks for you. Among all of us, you possess the fastest speed; only you are qualified for this mission. Trust me, I will block its attacks for you."
Trust? Looking earnestly at Zhuge Xiang, Hua Nongying fell silent, offering no response. The Asura Sect was a Demonic Sect, and as a disciple of the Asura Sect, could she just unreservedly trust someone else and place her own life in another's hands? Probably very few people would be willing. Yet Zhuge Xiang's words were correct; with mastery-level Ghost Step, her speed was the absolute fastest. If he could genuinely intercept the demon bear's attacks, then for that fleeting instant of opportunity, she was indeed the most suitable choice.
This was a gamble, wagering her very life on whether Zhuge Xiang was worthy of trust. Hua Nongying did not reply hastily; instead, she turned her head sideways to look at Lu Yuling. Relatively speaking, Hua Nongying and Lu Yuling shared a closer relationship, and since the former also had some history of friendly acquaintance with Zhuge Xiang, she wondered if Lu Yuling might have any suggestions regarding such a matter.
Understanding precisely what Hua Nongying meant by her inquiring gaze, Lu Yuling hesitated briefly before gently nodding toward Hua Nongying to indicate that Zhuge Xiang was worthy of trust.
"Very well, we'll do as you say," Hua Nongying nodded, agreeing to the plan. At the same time, she told Ling Wufeng, who stood nearby, "You get ready as well. Make sure your flying dagger doesn't lose its accuracy at the critical moment; we only get one chance."
"Rest assured, the moment that demon bear opens its mouth with its vision blinded, I will surely pierce its throat." Ling Wufeng maintained his usual cool demeanor, though this cool attitude of his failed to attract either Hua Nongying's or Lu Yuling's attention.
With the battle plan established, Zhuge Xiang, Lu Yuling, and Ji Wuxue, alongside Lu Yuling's Mechanical Puppet, all surged into motion. They lunged toward the demon bear, though they focused primarily on evasion and purely harassing attacks. Having suffered a slash from Zhuge Xiang when it opened its mouth to roar earlier, the demon bear had learned its lesson; despite being consumed by violent rage, it still kept its mouth firmly shut without roaring.
Swish...
Hua Nongying's attack arrived. Deploying Ghost Step, her figure appeared before the demon bear like a ghost. Thrusting out her short blade, she flicked out two blossoms of blade light that struck like a poisonous snake darting out its tongue, radiating a dangerous aura as they aimed straight for the demon bear's eyes.
The demon bear's pupils contracted violently. It could clearly sense the mortal peril posed by Hua Nongying and paid no further heed to the harassing attacks from Zhuge Xiang and the others. Swinging its bear paw fiercely amidst a sharp, piercing whistle of displaced air, it lashed out viciously at Hua Nongying. Judging by the sheer momentum, even if Hua Nongying managed to blind the demon bear's eyes, she would undoubtedly be smashed into a bloody pulp herself.
Although the demon bear's assault was terrifying enough to drain the color from one's face, Hua Nongying disregarded it entirely, adopting a do-or-die stance as if determined to blind the demon bear's eyes even if it cost her life.
Since she had given Zhuge Xiang her word, she would harbor no doubts. Such was Hua Nongying's personality—straightforward. If she was dissatisfied, she showed it; if she was suspicious, she doubted; and when she trusted, she trusted completely...
Zhuge Xiang quite appreciated this kind of personality. At least since she had promised him, she would not falter, making her vastly superior to those who agreed verbally on the surface only to drop the ball at the crucial moment.
At this exact instant, everyone grew tense, their hearts leaping into their throats as they felt deep concern for Hua Nongying. Zhuge Xiang had promised to help her block the demon bear's attack at the critical juncture, but how could he possibly block it? One had to remember this was a Two-Star Demonic Beast, comparable to a cultivator in the Body Tempering Realm. Compared to Qi Cultivation Realm practitioners, it represented a qualitative transformation; its offensive might was such that anyone stepping forward would be instantly killed. How on earth could he block it?
Just as Hua Nongying could be trusted once she gave her word, Zhuge Xiang was naturally the same—since he had agreed, he would undoubtedly manage to pull it off.
At the most perilous split-second, Zhuge Xiang executed an Explosive Steps technique, appearing as if by instantaneous teleportation to block the path directly in front of the demon bear. Raising his left hand, the Blade of Blockade materialized.
The Blade of Blockade possessed very low offensive power, severely failing to match its Three-Star Artifact quality, yet it possessed the ability once per day to withstand any attack from a Refining Essence to Qi Stage cultivator. Never mind a Two-Star Monster Beast; even a peak Six-Star Monster Beast's strike was something Zhuge Xiang could block with this.
The menacing, ferocious onslaught was halted dead in its tracks by Zhuge Xiang's Blade of Blockade. The fact that the puny human before it could actually block its attack left the demon bear momentarily bewildered. Yet right at that very moment, Hua Nongying's attack arrived, her short blade thrusting directly into the demon bear's eyes...
A shrill, agonizing shriek shattered the heavens. Zhuge Xiang and Hua Nongying jerked backward as they rapidly retreated. Simultaneously, a brilliant streak of blade light flashed and vanished, instantly cutting short the heaven-shaking shrieks...
The demon bear's wide-open mouth revealed its deepest throat, right where a single flying dagger was deeply embedded. Although a Two-Star Demonic Beast possessed a sturdy physical body, it had not reached the point where its eyes and the throat inside its oral cavity were tempered to match that supreme toughness.
"Ding! Defeated a Two-Star Lower-Grade Demon Bear above your level. Gained 880 experience. Gained Hundred Refinements Bow."
Hiss, as expected of a Two-Star Monster Beast—the experience points actually reach a staggering 880, Zhuge Xiang inhaled sharply upon hearing the system prompt.
Yet thinking it over, it made sense. He possessed merely Qi Cultivation Realm Third Layer cultivation, while the demon bear was equivalent to a Body Tempering Realm cultivator. Although he had several teammates, which diluted the experience points, the sheer number of realm levels he had leaped over meant 880 experience points were entirely within reason. Moreover, leaping across so many grades to trigger an equipment drop seemed only right.
(PS: Although we are currently in second place, the previous second place has dropped down to fourth. Where the third place came from, I have no idea—they suddenly surged up with freakish strength. The top few are all sitting at over 10,000 index points, and we are barely 200 index points away from losing our footing. I'm calling upon recommendation votes to hold onto second place! Compared to those other books down below that pull in hundreds of votes a week, our book doesn't even have a single hundred recommendation votes this week. What is going on here? Also, special thanks to book friend "Space Time Instant" for the 588 Qidian Coins tip.)
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